Federal Legislative Action Alert

Vote Expected Soon on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act

Your help is urgently needed to protect unborn children and women from late-term abortion. It was announced this week that the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on Tuesday, October 3 on The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 36). Please contact your member of the House of Representatives immediately and urge support for this life-saving legislation.

There is substantial medical evidence that an unborn child can experience pain at least by 20 weeks after fertilization. Therefore, this bill, which was introduced by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) on January 3, asserts a compelling governmental interest in protecting unborn children from this stage. With limited exceptions, H.R. 36 makes it unlawful to perform or attempt to perform an abortion if the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater.

Cardinal Dolan, Chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, has called on Congress to support this common-sense abortion policy reform. In a September 29 letter to Congress he pointed out to law makers that “[a]lthough we want, and will continue to work for, protections in law for human life from the beginning of its existence, for several reasons we think the proposed ban on abortion at 20 weeks after fertilization is a place to begin uniting Americans who see themselves as “pro-life” and as “pro-choice”. The Cardinal also pointed out that late-term abortion, in addition to being repulsive to “all decent and humane people” poses “…serious dangers to women – as evidenced by a disturbing number of news stories about the death or serious health complications of women undergoing such procedures.” You can read the Cardinal’s full statement here.

Suggested Actions to Take Immediately:

Send a message today to your Representative in the House urging support for H.R. 36 Click here to send your message by email or Twitter or if you prefer to call, you will find your member’s phone number and a suggested phone script here.

Share this alert with your friends and family. Copy this link and paste it in an email encouraging everyone you know to contact Congress. Time is short!

If you use social media, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @HumanLifeAction and like and share our posts across your platforms.

Suggested Message:

For members who are co-sponsors:

“Thank you for co-sponsoring H.R. 36. Please continue to support the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 36) and oppose all weakening amendments. This bill represents a common-sense and widely-supported reform of abortion policy.”

For members who have not co-sponsored:

“Please support and co-sponsor the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 36) and oppose all weakening amendments. This bill represents a common-sense and widely-supported reform of abortion policy.”

Background:

On May 13, 2015 an identical bill passed the House of Representatives. However, the measure failed in the Senate. In the current Congress, H.R. 36 was introduced by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) on January 3, 2017. A vote on the measure is expected in the House as soon as Tuesday, October 3. Cardinal Dolan expressed the bishops’ support for the measure in a September 29, 2017 letter to the House. The full text may be viewed here. To see the text of H.R. 36 and view the current list of co-sponsors click here.